>> the great news of earl weaver can be summed up with great statistic.

it ranks fifth a morning all time. who can forget this past summer, where they unveiled a statue of him. what a great day that was. weaver died early this morning while on a orioles cruise, he was 82. he won four american league pennants and the world series in 1970. he was inducted in the baseball hall of fame in 1996. he knows how the duke of earl played like the team he managed. >> this year meant so much to him, there's a lot of emotion in the building today. >> there certain was. revenge can be a great motivating factor but it does not mean much unless you get it. the ravens will try to do that

against the patriots tomorrow. their chance to earn the right to play in the super bowl. pete joins us live from foxborough. the ravens match up very well against the pats. >> indeed greg, thank you. if the ravens win tomorrow, joe flacco is the starting quarterback he will become the all-time winest road winning quarterback. he will have six sure pacing ely manning's five. he is only 28. what he has done in the postseason is play remarkable. this year, five touchdown passes and zero interceptions. his numbers are amazing and they are better head-to-head than tom brady expect on the category of victories and that is where the ravens are trying to correct that mistake. they thought was a win but joe

flacco despite what we just talked about he says look, it is not about me. >> just what it is calling for right now. it is a great opportunity. but, yeah, it is tough to look at it like that. this is a good football team and they are a great football team. as much as people want to talk about the quarterback matchups that is not what it comes down to winning the football games. >> if he executes like he did a week ago you can expect ravens to advance on to new orleans. >> hopefully, they can make good and get to that super bowl. that good feeling maryland had didn't last long. they made the trip to chapel hill to face north carolina. this game was not as much fun as the last. they controlled it from start to finish. they led by 22 at the break.

we can second half the turks try to rally and that cuts the lead to 12. but they couldn't close it within single digits. james michael flowing it down. marcus page was w the fall and he will drive, get into trouble but there he is to put it for two of his 19 points. north carolina won. hopefully, john's forecast is better than their performance. he's back with the seven day after this.

>> so we should enjoy what is going on right now? >> right. it will be cold for the game tomorrow. partly cloudy and breezy and only in the 20's. our forecast, steadily getting colder, snow mondayen and really cold tuesday and wednesday. >> thanks for joining us. "nightly news" is next. have a great night, everybody.

on this saturday night, hostage crisis, the bloody end to a three-day standoff in the african desert. tonight, what became of american, british and other hostages held by a murderous band of militants.

second act, on this inaugural weekend, unity but also deep division as president obama prepares for his new term. plus, giving back on this day of national service. speaking out, the latest from the all-american linebacker caught up in a bizarre girlfriend hoax. manti te'o answers the question, was he part of it? and fighting autism, intriguing research on the disorder that's confounded so many families for so long. tonight, new evidence in why early diagnosis and intervention may be crucial. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening from washington on the eve of president obama's second inauguration, much more on that in a few moments, but we start overseas tonight where it appears a dramatic military assault has finally ended that

violent hostage taking but al qaeda-connected militants in algeria, but not before two dozen or so hostages were killed. the dead include at least one american, but a number of westerners remain unaccounted for tonight. in a statement this evening, president obama said the dead and injured are in the thoughts and prayers of the american people. algerian military special forces staged the dramatic assault at the gas complex where hundreds of local and foreign workers were seized on wednesday. 32 militants reported dead. nbc's annabel roberts is following developments tonight. >> reporter: algerian special forces launched a final assault this morning. local media report the remaining seven hostages being held at the plant were executed and their captors killed. leon panetta said the perpetrators will be hunted down. >> just as we cannot accept terrorism attacks against our cities, we cannot accept attacks

against our citizens and our interests abroad. >> reporter: these weapons were left behind by the militants, according to algerian sources. their occupation of the gas plant deep in the sahara desert has cost many lives. this video broadcast on algerian television is said to have been shot on a cell phone by a hostage freed by the algerian army, walking to safety, past the bodies of those he once worked beside. nbc news has not been able to verify its authenticity. some hostages have talked of extreme brutality. >> translator: i told them that i was an algerian muslim and they said okay, okay, don't be scared. we haven't come for you. we have come to exterminate the crusaders. >> reporter: abdul rah man al najiri was their leader. the plant was a joint venture between al jeer in a's state-owned company and bp.

five of the workers are missing and bp says four of their members are unaccounted for. >> tragically we have grave fears that we may have fatalities from this group. >> reporter: bp confirmed one american survived, the plant manager, mark copp from texas but it's thought 23 hostages lost their lives here in the desert. annabel roberts, nbc news, london. we turn to the bizarre story playing out in this country involving manti te'o, the all-american notre dame linebacker who was apparently caught up in an online hoax. te'o told espn he was the victim, not part of the hoax. nbc's mike taibbi has the latest. >> manti te'o! >> reporter: in his first interview since the scandal broke manti te'o said no, never ever was he part of the fake girlfriend hoax that exploded to his embarrassment this week. >> he was completely composed,

self-assured. >> te'o told scapp and other interviewers that he'd met the girl that he knew online so they wouldn't think he was a crazy guy. after saying his beloved grandmother and long time girlfriend died on the same day the imaginary girlfriend and tragic death have achieved the status of lore. >> when my lost my grandmother and girlfriend it changed my life. >> reporter: he suspected he was pranked december 6th when he got a call from one of the hoaksters in new york. >> i'll never forget the time my

girlfrie girlfriend passed away. >> reporter: he said he was responsible for the hoax. and what about the girl in the picture? the picture apparently stolen and used without her knowledge but te'o says he believed was the online image of his girlfriend. an unwitting part of the elaborate hoax says tu wasosopo got out of hand. te'o has his once shining brand in big trouble. >> he has to come one a plausible descriptive narrative of why this happened, a believable story. >> reporter: te'o and the story are not there yet. mike taibbi, nbc news, less angeles. here in washington more history will be made tomorrow as president obama is officially sworn in for his second term ahead of his ceremonial swearing

in on inauguration day monday. kristen welker has more from the white house tonight. >> reporter: president obama kicking off his inauguration weekend by lending a hand to the nationwide day of service. >> this inauguration we're going to be, it's a symbol of how our democracy works and how we peacefully transfer power, but it should also be an affirmation that we're all in this together. >> reporter: but there are still deep divides, including an upcoming deadline over the debt dealing which is the nation's borrowing limit. this week's top republicans offered a new plan that would increase the limit for three months and require congress to pass the budget within that time frame or else no pay. >> we're saying is we will extend the debt limit until the time line where you have a budget a road map. >> reporter: republicans are hoping that strategy will lead democrats to agree to deep spending cuts. officials close to the president

say mr. obama is open to more cuts but insists he won't slash entitlements like medicare. >> ultimately we have to do it in a balanced way. he's not going to do this on the backs of the poorest americans. >> reporter: the looming fiscal fights could overshadow the president's larger policy goals like promoting gun safety in the wake of the newtown tragedy. this past week president obama had a pack. today thousands rallied in cities across the country to mark gun appreciation day. >> we need to enforce the laws we have. >> reporter: immigration reform is also high on the president's list. analysts say in order to get his agenda through, mr. obama will have to act quickly. >> but i think most experts in washington believe that realistically, if the president wants to accomplish big things in his second term he's got about two years to do it. >> reporter: kristen welker, nbc

news, the white house. for now i'm joined by david gregory, mott raider of "meet the press." the honeymoon doesn't happen in the second term but is there a reset point? >> the president was popular in the re-election, he was in a difficult fiscal cliff negotiation where he got the tax increases he wanted. the democrats arenited but he faces such quick battles particularly over the debt and over gun legislation that he'd like to pursue, there isn't much of a reset, not much of a honeymoon because there's a carryover of toxic atmosphere in washington when it comes to getting big things done. >> you covered the white house about two terms of the bush administration. what does the president, what is the hard reality of his second term in. >> well he builds up a lot of political capital with re-election and that's very freeing for a second term president but the calendar is short. you have a limited amount of time to really drive the agenda and the president would like to

get big things done from immigration to energy, but he's going to be facing trench warfare with republicans over the budget, for some time to come. i think that's going to overshadow most of what he does. >> david gregory thanks very much. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturday, new research about autism and how a small number of children have overcome the disorder. and later a national day of service, folks giving back. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice.

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we are back tonight with some new research that sheds more light on autism, the neurological disorder that affects about 1 in 100 young children in this country. how and why a small number of children are able to overcome it. we get the story tonight from robert bisell. jake is a perfectly normal 16 years old but when he was 2 years old shown in these videotapes he was diagnosed with severe autism, the widespread disorder that affects a child's ability to have social interactions. >> he stopped relating. he wasn't interested in other kids, and by his second birthday he stopped speaking entirely. >> reporter: after two years of intensive therapy 40 hours a week he was cleared of autism. >> when i look at the videos when i'm 2 years old i cannot believe at one point in my life that was me. >> reporter: new research from the university of connecticut closely studying 34 such cases

including jake includes the outcome is real, therapy does bring a cure in some cases, and it is often with kids who were severely autistic. >> they had very little language when they were 2 and 3 years old, and they were really, most of them classically autistic. >> reporter: but the good news comes with caveats. researchers caution such cases represent only a portion of children with autism, perhaps as few as one in ten and there's no way to predict in advance which kids can be cured. it is possible kids like jake have a certain genetic makeup that makes them responsive to therapy but doctors have no idea what that is. >> to frame the results, not to give parents false hope but to be honest about what we hope expect, given the better rates of early diagnosis and intervention. >> reporter: but the experts believe that early diagnosis and intervention remains key. >> i feel proud that i'm able to help in any way, whether it's doing the study or just

representing the possibility of recovery. >> reporter: possible for sure, but achievable only rarely, and for reasons not yet understood. robert basell, nbc news, new york. arctic air has set in on the midwest. the region will sit in tonight with some of the lowest temperatures of the region. chicago and detroit could stay in the teens for days and the system will make its way east highs in the 20s, in new york city, including in washington. when we return the president's inauguration and honor the memory of dr. martin luther king jr. by giving back. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally.

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as you heard earlier today was billed as the national day of service, something president obama started four years ago. it's a pay to volunteerism and the spirit of giving back. there was a big event here in washington today and others around the country. nbc's ron mott covered it for us, he covers it from lafayette park across the street from me. >> reporter: monday is also the inauguration and the king holiday, not so overshadow the significance of all he accomplished for the united states the president kicked off his inaugural festivities by honoring mlk. two days before the eyes of the world are focused on him, today president obama sought to fix the country's collective gaze on martin luther king jr.'s legacy

on this national day of service, sprucing up a washington elementary school with the first family, while the vice president and his family helped load goodies bound for fighting service members, veterans and first responders. >> i'm always reminded that he said, everybody wants to be first, everybody wants to be a drum major, but if you're going to be a drum major, be a drum major for service, be a drum major for justice, be a drum major for looking out for other people. >> we want to help the unfortunate families. >> reporter: across the country, they did just that, lending helping hands in orlando, where volunteers built a garden. new york city at a habitat for humanity event and chicago, writing letters and making care packages for troops overseas. >> let's remember what they've done for us. >> reporter: in 2011, 64.3 million americans, more than one

in four adults a five-year high, volunteered their time, some 7.9 billion hours combined with an estimated value of $171 billion, at a service fair on the national mall, shante brown brought her two kids and niece, filling out a family pack to give back in 2013. >> you don't have to be famous to make an impact. >> reporter: there were a few famous. chelsea clinton the day's honorary chair. >> hey! >> reporter: actresses angela bassett and eva longoria saying it's about time. >> time is the most important to give an organization, volunteering a time to paint a classroom, read a book or mentor. >> reporter: across the country organizers expect upwards of a quarter million people to take part in today's national day of service events. lester? >> ron mott thank you. we'll have live coverage of the

official inauguration at noon eastern time and monday covering it all day long beginning with "today" on nbc. that's "nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from washington. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and then right back here tomorrow evening. good night, everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com